Word count: 2954
Appreciation goes to Pretyshar9 for the secret cheers ❤️
Rosa's POV
*
My body trembled in fear as the car took a turn, my heart beating wildly at the silence that reigned in the car.
I knew this was going to happen and I still signed up for it. I knew I was going to be put in some kind of danger, after all Gonzalo's brother was the person that'd orchestrated Leo's kidnap.
He'd even tried to kill me and Gonzalo once in an orchestrated car accident and that was what had led to us eventually getting married while I was unconscious.
I was glad Leo was okay though.
He had to be.
They took him away right in my presence, along with my mom whom they'd kept hostage.
My dad was still in the hospital recovering. They'd gotten into an accident a while back and mom told me earlier— before she was released along with Leo— that it was Gustavo that had saved them because he planned on keeping them hostage till I was in his hold.
I was willing to give myself in exchange for my brother and mom's freedom. This was such a bold move that I'd taken but if I could buy my family's freedom, it was totally worth it.
Still, this didn't mean I wasn't currently scared out of my wits.
I'd been blindfolded and put in a car after Gustavo told me I was his present to someone.
Where were they taking me to?
Who was that woman Gustavo had contacted earlier? Because she was the one that had told them to take me to a certain beach house and that a so called prince would be meeting me in the evening.
Gustavo had ordered me to behave and also do whatever his men told me to if I wanted Leo and my mom to remain
She mentioned an old grudge with my mom though my mom didn't look fazed while Gustavo was speaking to her. I couldn't blame my mom, she'd gone through more than enough for us but I still hated the fact that she had issues with these people for so many years and now I had to put my life on the line.
It wasn't fair.
"Hello..." I called, wiggling my hands to check how tight they'd been bounded and see if I could free myself from this rope they used to secure my hands behind me. It was so tight though, and moving caused me great discomfort.
I hissed I got no response from my abductors. They'd been silent since we got into the car.
Sighing, I prayed everything would turn out well.
I had abandoned Gonzalo.
Goodness, I loved him so much that the thought of not seeing him made my heart ache. He would be so pissed at me that I left that way but I hope he would one day come to understand that I had no choice but to do it.
"Gonzalo, I'm sorry. I made a promise that I would never leave you and I did. I love you baby." I mumbled softly and my voice cracked, my lips wobbling.
My heart clenched.
I would never see him again.
It was no one's fault.
I'm sorry Gonzalo.
Please don't hate me because I wouldn't be able to bear it...
Gonzalo's POV
*
The call connected after a few seconds and I sat on the chair, signalling my men to handle the rest of Gustavo's men that we're still hanging around.
"Who's on the line?"
"King Xavier Knightdale, or should I say, prince Xavier Knightdale the third. How are you doing?"
"This line isn't accessible to most people so you must've had your sources before reaching me here. I asked a question and courtesy demand-"
"Courtesy demands absolutely nothing, shithead. I am Gonzalo Romano Rodriguez. A caporegime of the Italian Mafia Family and news just reached me that my wife is on her way to you now. I would like to have her sent back to me ASAP."
"Wife? I've heard of you but I don't know who your wife is."
"Her name is Rosa Rodriguez."
"Okay. Why would she be on her way to me though? I don't have any business dealings for the next few months because of my current preparations to assign the throne." He explained cooly and the whole idea of having to even explain things to him was slowly beginning to get on my nerves!
How dumb could someone be? Or was he playing with me?
"Well I'm sure you know about her since you ordered for her capture."
He exhaled sharply. "I feel there's a misunderstanding here. I ordered for the capture of my girlfriend who felt there was a need to run off because my mother threatened her with what I have no idea, not that this information concerns you. But I assure you that I have nothing to do with your wife...Suzanne couldn't be claimed by another man, could she? That's my girlfriend's name. Jose, search for the name 'Rosa Rodriguez' and tell me what you find." He ordered someone and I heard murmuring at the background.
I placed the phone on speaker and dropped it on the table, getting up to pace around. This was time wastage for goodness sake!
"Here you go sir." His man, whom I guessed was Jose replied.
"Bloody hell, I don't know this woman. She sure looks familiar though. I've seen a painting of someone that looks like her in my father's room. I'm not even into redheads."
I huffed. "Well it's a good thing you aren't into redheads because I would gouge the eyes of anyone that looked at my wife the wrong way." I growled with narrowed eyes, calming down a little as he confessed to not liking redheads but also getting annoyed at the same time because Rosa was the sexiest lady alive with her red head and beautiful sparkling eyes.
It offended me to hear anyone say anything against such a beauty. I would keep an extra watch on her when I got her back. More than that, we would sit and have a long, overdue conversation about why she felt there was no need to tell me when my late brother was threatening her.
I used 'my late brother' because to me he was as good as dead. April would have her fill of him anyway so I wasn't in the least bit upset about not being the one to deal with him.
"Now listen up."
"No you listen up-" prince shithead Xavier started but I cut him off.
"No, you listen up. I don't know how it was arranged but an opponent of mine spoke with a lady in your family who arranged together to kidnap my wife and give her to you as some generational promise bullshit. I don't know what it's all about but I need my wife back."
"Jose what the hell is going on?" I heard him ask seriously and Jose cleared his throat.
"Sir, Queen Jane mentioned it the other day that there was a family ritual that should've been performed. Several years ago, King Donald was supposed to marry a redhead lady but she disappeared somehow and so it seems they found the lady's daughter and invited her over so you could marry her." Jose explained.
"And you knew about all this and didn't say a word?"
"Sir, Queen Jane said it was a compulsory ritual and you already knew about it so we shouldn't bother you. I wasn't informed that she would be invited over today."
"Invited or abducted?"
"Queen Jane kept me in the dark sir, apologies. I had no way of reporting anything to you since I didn't know such a thing was being planned. Either abduction or an invite, I'm equally learning about it for the very first time." Jose explained while my frown deepened.
I was getting tired of all this back and forth.
"Look, King Xavier you can scold your men later but I need my wife back."
"Apologies for the inconvenience. This is all a big misunderstanding and I didn't know I was to be forcefully betrothed to anyone. Your wife will be returned to you within the next hour as I will make the necessary calls and have everything sorted out. I will also speak to my mother as soon as I drop the call for such an act is totall illegal and callous. I sincerely hope we can somehow manage to maintain a cordial relationship if we ever meet in future."
"I'm not sure I'd want to chat with the man my wife was almost sold to but whatever. We shall see. You'll only hear from me if my wife doesn't get to me in the next hour."
"I won't take that as a threat but as an advice from a man who cherishes his woman so dearly. I know the feeling. Goodbye." He chuckled and I ended the call with a scowl.
"Let's go. Deal with Mark, since he made it easier to find Rosa. Don't harm him." I ordered two of my men while Jim and the rest followed me out. Getting into our cars, I rested my head and heaved a deep sigh.
I wasn't even as relieved as I'd expected I would be.
I wasn't sure I would be relieved until Rosa was back in my arms, safely. I would buy a couples watch if I had to. One that would let me know if she was a particular distance farther from me. I would tie her to my waist from now on if possible.
For goodness sake, she just up and left like that. Was that how shallow her love for me was? She could've discussed this shit with me.
My eyes brimmed and burned with angry tears as I glared hard at my laptop that was seating beside me. But I didn't let a single drop fall because now wasn't the time for it. If I was like this, how would I run my household?
I took another deep breath and tried to regulate my breathing as anger consumed me.
"Where do we go next boss?" My man asked.
I nodded. "Home."
Now that Rosa was coming back to me it could be called our home once again and not just a house where I would mope around and await her return.
"Tim, have Leo escorted to your room immediately." I ordered immediately as we drove back into the yard.
Leo, who'd alighted and was approaching me stopped in his tracks, his eyes going wide as he heard my words.
"What- why? I want to be here. I heard Rosa is coming back. I want to see who took her and punch him in the gut." He said fiercely and I chuckled, realizing I found something amusing for the first time today.
He looked determined enough to make me know he would want to get involved in the darker parts of our business in the future but right now, Rosa was my priority and I didn't want him to see what I would do to those fuckers.
Regardless of how courageous he was, at the end of the day Leo was still a little boy who needed his sanity at his young age and he should be treated just that way. Seeing his brother-in-law putting bullets through people's brains wasn't what I wanted him to witness because it would take a huge toll on him whether we wanted it to or not.
Also Rosa would kill me if I exposed her brother to any ugly side of my life. Especially at this age.
"No. Go with Tim and sit with him while he uses his medication. When Rosa returns, I'll call for you."
He opened his mouth to argue but then shut it and nodded, walking past me and patting my shoulder as if he wanted to give me some strength and courage. I shook my head and motioned for the guard escorting Leo along with Tim not to let him out of his sight for even a second and he nodded as they walked into the mansion.
Tim had suffered a massive hit on his head the day Leo got kidnapped but him and Jack, his partner who usually guarded Leo together had taken it as nothing and hadn't even bothered to report the issue until Tim fell really ill and the doctor told us he suffered a massive hit that caused a hemorrhage.
Now he was on medication and to avoid distractions, he was better off in his room than here since he wouldn't be of much help anyway.
We walked into the large sitting room and all my men gathered in different angles. The air was thick with bloodlust. They were angry, or even angrier than I was. Rosa always took good care of them and I'd heard about the time she would specially prepare some snacks or fruit drinks for them, saying it had health benefits and they shouldn't eat so much junks.
Even though she just did them out of the goodness of her heart, my men always discussed with Romeo about how these things surprised them and Romeo always told me.
Fifteen minutes later, we heard the sound of cars speeding in.
"Romeo, Jim, Manuel, don't let even one man escape. I want to download all my bullets into their chests, every one of them. No one touches what's mine." I huffed and got up, storming towards the door with my men beside and behind me.
Two cars parked outside and five men alighted. Three from one car, two from the other one.
Rosa was escorted out of the car by one of the other two guys and I instantly took a deep breath of relief that she was safe but my right eye twitched as I noticed she was in a changed outfit.
A black, irritatingly short dress I had never seen her wear. Her beautiful hair had been let lose. A scowl crawled on my face as I eyed her body, noting a reddish bruise on her chin.
My scowl intensified as I took a good look at my wife. She didn't like letting her hair loose most of the time and she was in a dress that exposed most parts of her breasts and thighs. Rosa never dressed this way outside and I knew she didn't leave here in such clothing, according to the CCTV footage. Her nipples would most likely pop out if they moved her too much. And they even blindfolded her.
They blindfolded the wife of Gonzalo Romano Rodriguez!
I shut my eyes to calm myself down. I would attack once she was safely in my arms.
"Hand her to me." I spoke softly, lacing my voice with concern as I hid the anger in it from them.
"No one will be harmed, Romano. You let us drive out of here and we drop your pretty wife at the gate. Deal?" Bertold, Gustavo's underboss snarled menacingly as he glared with his one good eye. The other one had a patch over it.
"We're all good, do as you wish but make sure she's not harmed." I told him calmly.
"No, we didn't harm her...at least not yet. There was no time for it." Bertold told me with a smirk and I took another deep breath. My gaze kept returning to the spot where he held my Rosa. On her upper arm.
I would kill him last. His death had to be painful.
They got into their cars and drove to the gate. Then Bertold dropped Rosa, her blindfold already taken off and she quickly ran back to us, crying silently. She looked scared, her face pale and swollen. Her eyes were red.
I met her halfway and pulled her into a bonecrushing hug, my eyes stinging as I clenched my teeth. I hated feeling so helpless and now Rosa was the one person that made me feel so helpless and lost.
I could feel her heartbeat against my chest as her body trembled, matching the rate mine was beating.
"Get. them. back. here." I shouted even as my men were already hurrying into the cars. They drove fast towards the gate.
I glared at the gate even though Bertold's car was no longer there.
"I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave you, I'm sorry. He said he would behead Leo. It scared me. I knew how dangerous he was after the car accident...I couldn't tell you. I was scared I would never see Leo again if I didn't do what he wanted. I'm sorry. I'm very sorry for trying to leave you. Forgive me. I love you." Rosa sobbed harder into my chest. I was too angry to even speak.
I took a step back to take another look at her face but she clutched onto my shirt, still crying loudly as she buried her face inside my chest.
Sighing, I wordlessly led us in while Jim left to make an important call and the rest of my men who hadn't gone in pursuit of Bertold and his men went about their separate duties.
Rosa would never know how glad and grateful I was that she came back to me alive, whole and sane. I was fucked up but Gustavo was a different level of pure craziness in human form.
"Thank you God." I murmured as a teardrop escaped my eyes and I led her up the stairs to our room. Leo and the abductors my men were chasing could wait because I would definitely deal with them all later.
This time belonged to just me and Rosa.